French Casserole - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1/2 lb. bacon, diced
2 1/2 lb. beef, cut in cubes
1 or 2 bay leaves
salt and pepper to taste
thyme to taste
red wine
1/2 lb. pearl onions, peeled
3/4 lb. mushrooms

Preparation

Fry the bacon in a skillet until it is brown; remove it and set aside.
Drain off the excess fat, leaving enough to brown the meat in.
Cook the beef until it is dark brown.
Place the meat and bacon in a casserole.
Add the next 3 ingredients and enough wine to cover.
Bake, covered, at 300\u00b0 for 1 1/2 hours.
Brown the onions and mushrooms in a little bacon grease.
Add them to the meat.
Bake, covered, for 30 minutes longer.
Add more wine if needed.
Serve with rice.